Ever After
by Reign
Summary: Post KOTOR. In the aftermath of galactic chaos, Revan finds the strength to pick up and continue in the woman he loves the most.


**Author's Note: **I finished the game a while ago but didn't have time to write anything for it until now. I might continue this if I get good feedback, but otherwise, it makes a good stand alone.

Lyrics are Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move."

Timothy Zahn is my hero. The reference is easy to spot.

**Dedication: **To the hope that everyone in the world receives the love of their life— and a happily ever after to accompany it.

**Ever After**

_The tension is here._

_Between who you are and who you could be._

_Between how it is and how it should be._

Revan sat on one of the stones at the top of the Ancient Temple, overlooking the landscape of the Rakatan planet in the midnight moonlight. It was a sight to be seen, the buildings of a once great civilization, tucked away in an obscure corner of space. The land had been untouched for the most part, 'visitors' had the tendency to die upon crashing on the surface due to the dampening field around the planet. And the survivors, should there be any, had to deal with the barbaric warrior clan of The One, usually meeting a gruesome fate in the end.

But The One was gone now, as was the Star Forge, and Darth Malak for that matter.

Draped in his dusty dark Jedi robe, with his feet dangling off the side of the wall, Revan tapped his boots lightly against the ancient stone. He was well aware that if he slipped off, the end result would be quite painful. The memory of that last and recent battle was like an open wound, still fresh and raw in his mind. He recalled bodies floating in life sustaining liquid, Malak standing over him in the last fated seconds, explosions and battle sounds ringing all around, and the dark side coursing furiously through his veins before he struck down his former apprentice. Revan reached for his lightsaber, removing it from his side and running his fingers down the length of the cool durasteel handle. Despite the dark side influence, in that battle, Revan hadn't fought for personal gain or power. He had fought for others, some of them people he had never met. Revan saw the scene in the night sky as if it was a movie unfolding before his eyes. Twin crimson blades dueled against a single bladed lightsaber, the weapons meeting each other stroke for stroke with sparks sparkling out after every meeting. There was the sound of his heart pounding loudly in his ears as the battle wore on, the anger and animosity between the two men, and finally, the thud of a body after it was all over.

Then, as abruptly as the thoughts flared to life, they ended.

It wasn't necessary for Revan to glance over his shoulder; the Force bond between the two of them surpassed all normal human senses. He simply scooted to the right to give her more space to sit.

"Nice reception, wouldn't you say?" Bastila asked coolly from beside him, her voice laced with that familiar accent. It wasn't really much of a question moreso than a statement to acknowledge her presence.

"It was unnecessary," Revan murmured, thinking back to the victory ceremony. He had forced a smile and waved to all the ecstatic soldiers who viewed him as some sort of hero. Even if he had killed Darth Malak, it didn't wipe the slate clean and Revan came to realize that no action truly would. Truthfully, nothing Revan owned was pure, everything about him was tainted. Tainted by the Dark Side.

"You saved the galaxy for now, doesn't that count for anything?" Bastila offered softly, as if she heard his unspoken fears. It couldn't be considered prying and Revan couldn't blame her for it. It was hard not to hear someone when they were shouting.

"But I did it with the Dark Side," he muttered, staring down at his clutched lightsaber and furrowing his brows in thought, like a child who couldn't comprehend the simplest concept. "Throughout this whole journey you must've noticed. It's like I have some power-hungry, evil complex I can't seem to shake," he said, smiling wryly.

"Yes, I did notice," she conceded, brushing a strand of hair out of the way. "But this time you tuned into the dark side and used it for good purposes. I suppose that forgives the method," she offered again.

Revan blinked to that statement, craning his neck to the side to examine the fallen Jedi. To Revan's surprise, Bastila hadn't changed out of her dark Jedi garb after the victory ceremony. Revan could easily sense the guilt coursing through her also, and perhaps, in a twisted sort of way, he understood that the dark Jedi robe was worn as a badge of shame for a sin— a sort of scarlet letter. No matter how many times he looked at her, Revan simply couldn't ignore her ethereal beauty, and the way she radiated with an attractive type of vulnerability he hadn't been aware of until recently. She wasn't looking back at him, but rather, out at the landscape also. Revan tore his gaze from Bastila for a second to look behind her shoulder at the clearing at the top of the temple. Just a few hours ago, Revan and his team had confronted a corrupted Bastila a few meters away. Ironic that they should find themselves back here, in this exact same spot.

"You're just making excuses, you know," he snapped, the words coming out rougher than he intended.

Bastila didn't flinch.

"But ... I appreciate it anyway," he rectified, smiling for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. The expression felt foreign to him, but when it surfaced, it was genuine.

"You're welcome," she murmured into his ear after leaning against his side and setting her head on his shoulder.

Revan's smile grew a bit wider. His left hand snaked its way around her waist and pulled her closer. The warmth radiating between the two of them contradicted the cool and humid night air of the Rakatan planet. "Have the others left yet?"

"Mm, yeah," she replied, inhaling softly. "Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar are en route to Kashyyk before heading to Coruscant. I think Mission will make a fine Republic officer; she's quite the slicer, as you must know. And Zaalbar, well, I suppose he'll try to explain Czerka Corporation's removal from Kashyyk. By the way, how did you convince him to leave your side, Revan?"

"I told him we'd meet him at Corsuscant afterwards," Revan replied with a bit of a grin on his face, "and that he could either go now and see us later or spend hours alone with HK-47 on the Hawk."

"I see," Bastila replied, sounding amused as well. "An unusual approach, but I suppose it works."

"So I guess with Canderous escorting Juhani and Jolee to Jedi Headquarters, we're all due to meet at Coruscant then," he said, his smile fading away to reveal a worried frown.

Bastila didn't need to look up to sense his discomfort.

"Appears that way," she said cautiously. Then added, "Why, are you thinking of taking a detour?" though through their bond, she knew that wasn't what he was thinking.

"No," he responded, just as she expected. "Just ... just wondering what we were going to do afterwards. You know, after all the formal stuff. The future looks muddy from here."

Bastila silently agreed to that, Revan caught the fluctuation in her emotions. "Our future doesn't seem to exist with the Jedi, does it?" the question was more of a statement than an actual question. Bastila didn't know what to think of that, she was torn between regret and a new sense of freedom, all at the same time. Eventually, the regret faded away to make room for hope. Hope for the future.

Revan smiled. "Looks that way ..." he said thoughtfully, shifting in place but still strongly holding her body to his. "Bastila ... are you sure about this?" he said suddenly, as if the doubt he had been hiding spilled out all at once. "I mean, your future seems so much more ... _certain_ with the Jedi. And, and I don't know where the hell I'm going in life," he confessed.

"Certain for _disaster_," she said, hearing the edge of bitterness in her tone. That life was too out of her reach and she knew she couldn't return to it. Well, she could, but truthfully, it would never be the same. Now that things had changed so drastically so rapidly, _nothing_ would ever be the same.

In the pit of his heart, Revan knew this too.

"This is where I belong," she said firmly, washing away any doubts that she— and he— had on the matter. "With you."

Revan smiled again as Bastila sank further into his arms. Yes, they were both exactly where they belonged. "Well, if you insist, _Jedi Princess,_" he teased, tugging out the hated nickname Canderous had crowned her with.

Bastila twitched. "I _do_ insist," she snapped mockingly, "and my first order as a princess is for you to stop calling me that."

"As if I've _ever_ followed the rules," he snorted. "Bastila," he started again, feeling contentment bubble up inside of him. Many things were so uncertain right now, but what _was_ certain was that they loved each other. Past the bond was a power perhaps stronger than the Force— pure, and unselfish love.

"I love you," he murmured into her hair, inhaling the light fragrance that he associated her with.

Bastila pulled away from him to gaze into his eyes, her watery hazels locked on his. "I know," she replied gently, stroking his cheek. When she was with him, the ice queen façade melted away faster than a block of ice on a hot Tatooine afternoon. It was a privilege that perhaps only Revan was extended, and he was honored to have it.

Revan extended a black-gloved hand forward to gently cup her chin. Then, in one swift motion, he levered her mouth to his and kissed her deeply. The kiss was a simple and reassuring one, but forged of passion and love at the same time.

When the two pulled back, breathing heavily, Bastila was the first to speak. She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts and calm her emotions. She squeezed his hand soothingly. "If we're going to make it to Coruscant in time, I better prepare the Ebon Hawk." She released his hand and swiveled around to set her feet on the ground. "Don't take too long," she added, throwing him a grin before starting out.

Revan watched her as she walked away, traced each step with his eyes as it touched the ground. Surely, he had made a lot of mistakes in his life and had hurt countless amounts of people. But that was nothing he could change now, and it was wasteful to dwell on. Redemption began the second he struck down Malak, and would continue every morning he woke up until he could no longer draw breath. Whatever Life threw at him, he would face it together with her. And together, they would move onward to pave a bright future— their future.

"Wait—" Revan suddenly called out, stopping Bastila in step.

"... I'll come with you."

_Maybe redemption has stories to tell._

_Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell._

_Where can you run to escape from yourself?_

_Where you gonna go? Salvation is here._

**FIN.**


End file.
